Kingsport: Viewing Options for the Total Solar Eclipse

Viewing Options for the Total Solar Eclipse

If you happen to be in the right part of the world on April 8, you’ll be able to see a total solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is perfectly aligned with and blocks the Sun.

Those living on the thin path that stretches across the United States will see the Sun fully blocked and surrounded by the thin, wispy tendrils of the solar corona. Unfortunately, the Tri-Cities is not close to this path, which means we’ll only see part of the Sun blocked by the Moon.

At mid-eclipse, you’ll see 87% of the surface of the Sun blocked by the Moon. If you want to see the eclipse safely, you have a couple of options.

• Use your own solar glasses to dim the light of the Sun to safe viewing levels. You can purchase your own pair of solar glasses from the Bays Mountain Park gift shop for $2 each.
• You can project the image of the sun using a colander from your kitchen. It will project dozens of little Sun images from the holes.

Eclipse Times for the Tri-Cities

• First Contact (when the edge of the Moon just touches the edge of the Sun) – 1:53 p.m.
• Mid Eclipse (when the most amount of the Sun will be blocked by the Moon) – 3:10 p.m.
• Last Contact (when the edge of the Moon just leaves the edge of the Sun) – 4:26 p.m.

The Kingsport Public Library will have solar telescopes set up in Glen Bruce Park from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on April 8 to view a magnified view of the Sun. The library is hosting an afterschool kids program on eclipse science on April 5 at 4 p.m. and the library will be giving out solar glasses during library programs leading up to April 8.

Please Note: NEVER look directly at the Sun without proper protection.

“Eclipses are special events and the perfect fun for the entire family,” said Planetarium Director Adam Thanz. “Whether you can visit a place to view, use your own solar glasses or project with a colander, be safe and understand you are in direct alignment with the Sun, Moon and Earth.”

For information about other events, activities and programs offered by Bays Mountain park, visit www.baysmountain.com.

About Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium

Annually, more than 200,000 visitors pass through Bays Mountain Park making it one of the State of Tennessee’s Top 50 Most Visited Attractions, according to the State of Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. One of the nation’s largest city-owned parks with 3,750 acres, Bays Mountain Park features roughly 44 miles of hiking trails, a state-of-the-art planetarium, wildlife habitats, fun exhibits, a 44-acre lake, ropes course with zip line, trails for mountain biking and much, much more. For more information, please visit www.baysmountain.com.

About the City of Kingsport

Founded in 1917, the City of Kingsport (pop. 55,400) is located on the Tennessee-Virginia border at the crossroads of I-81 and I-26 near the geographic center of the eastern United States. The city is widely known as a planned community, designed by renowned city planner John Nolen and wrapping around the foot of Bays Mountain – a 3,750-acre park, nature preserve, planetarium and observatory. Kingsport is recognized as an International Safe Community by the National Safety Council, a Healthier Tennessee community, and won the 2009 Harvard Innovations in American Government Award for its higher education initiatives. While many city names are duplicated throughout the U.S., there’s only one Kingsport – a fact that invokes community pride, known locally as the “Kingsport Spirit.” For more information, please visit www.kingsporttn.gov.